


A Gift Left Behind

by capmarvel



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: AI Tony Stark, Artificial Intelligence, Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Spoilers, Canonical Character Death, Family, Father-Son Relationship, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Irondad, Light Angst, Loss, Parent Tony Stark, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Post-Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Post-Endgame, Precious Peter Parker, Sad with a Happy Ending, Spider-Man: Far From Home (Movie), Teen Peter Parker, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Has A Heart, kind of, spiderson
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-29
Updated: 2019-04-29
Packaged: 2020-02-09 21:48:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,129
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18646759
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/capmarvel/pseuds/capmarvel
Summary: AVENGERS ENDGAME SPOILERS!!!AVENGERS ENDGAME SPOILERS!!!AVENGERS ENDGAME SPOILERS!!!Tony's gone, but he would never abandon Peter like that.





	A Gift Left Behind

“Hey kid, how are you holding up?”

Peter looked up at the figure in the doorway but didn’t make the effort to respond. Instead, he just turned his attention back to his hands, picking at a loose thread on the sleeve of his jumper. 

It had been three weeks. Three whole weeks since he’d woken up and come back to earth. Three weeks since they took on Thanos. Three weeks since he’d lost Tony. _Three weeks since they’d won_. He didn’t like to dwell on that last one though, because there was no way that winning could feel this much like losing. He cursed himself as his eyes began to water again. By now, he would have thought that he’d have run out of tears, yet a single thought of his ex-mentor and they would immediately return. 

Happy noticed the tears, as much as Peter had tried to blink them away, and sighed sadly. “Sorry, stupid question.”

Five years ago, that might have gotten at least a smile out of Peter, but today he just continued fiddling. He tried to focus more on the feel of the material under his fingers; the rough, threadbare fabric. He had to stay here, in the present, because the past was too painful. 

Here, was actually back in his apartment in Queens. The place had stayed remarkable intact even after five years of being empty. They’d had some stuff looted, just like almost everyone else who had been gone, but overall, they were pretty lucky. 

“How long since you’ve been outside, Peter?”

Peter brought his gaze back up to Happy, running his eyes over the man. He’d lost a significant amount of weight over the past few weeks, the stress of trying to reorganise the company, with questions over the its future, and trying to be there for the family that Tony had left behind. Peter knew that Happy had been trying to keep it together for everyone, trying to make sure that everyone was coping and at least on the path to healing. 

“I was out on Tuesday, went to get some milk.” 

Happy looked at him sceptically. “ _This_ Tuesday?”

This time Peter did almost smile a little at being caught out. It seemed his subtlety hadn’t made it back from Titan with him. 

“I’m heading over to the lake house today. Pepper and Morgan have headed to California for a bit, but there’s some stuff that needs to be cleared out.”

Peter’s heart clenched at the mention of Pepper and Morgan, both of whom were way more entitled to their grief than he was. He hadn’t seen either of them since the funeral, too scared to face them. Although he’d been told constantly that it was unfounded, Peter couldn’t quell the guilt that came at the thought of them. He’d heard about Tony’s initial reluctance to the whole time-travel plan, about his desire to keep what he’d managed to find after Thanos. It hadn’t taken him long to discover his role in the decision to team up with the Avengers again, to sacrifice himself in order to bring everyone back. So yeah, he’d been trying his best to try and stay out of the way, to try and not cause any more trouble for the Starks and let them process their loss. Maybe one day, very far into the future, he’d be able to reconcile his feelings of guilt.

The tears that he thought he’d successfully managed to rid himself of tumbled down his cheeks. He quickly turned his head away, not wanting Happy to have to see his suffering. 

“OK…” He didn’t really know what Happy was fishing for; if he wanted him to help with the clearing out (something Peter definitely would not be able to manage), or if he needed him to keep an eye on what he’d been doing here in New York. 

“I think you should come with me.”

Peter shook his head emphatically. He was not ready to go back there, to see everything that had been left behind without a proper goodbye. 

“Peter, I know this is hard for you, it is for all of us, but I don’t think you’re coping very well. Tony wouldn’t have wanted this for you.”

“We don’t know what he would have wanted.” He spat out angrily. “He wasn’t supposed to die. _I_ had the gauntlet and I didn’t do anything with it. The radiation from the bite…I should have done something. I should have been the one to…” The tears were coming thick and fast now, making Peter rub desperately at his cheeks. 

“Peter…he knew what he was doing, and what it was going to cost. There was no way that he would have let you…” The rest of his sentence went unsaid. “I know it’s going to hurt, but I think it might give you the closure you need.”

* * *

Peter looked up at the small wooden house as he stood before it. The day was gloomy, fittingly so, and the only sounds he could make out came from either him or Happy. He vaguely remembered someone mentioning there had been chickens, but he couldn’t see any wandering around the garden. The contents of the hand-built vegetable patches were all dead now, crops having shrivelled and dried up without their usual attention. The whole place was carrying an air of death and abandonment. 

He quietly followed Happy as he unlocked the front door and made his way into the house. The interior wasn’t much livelier than outside, and dust had started to coat the exposed surfaces. Even the last time he’d been here the place was full of people and conversation. The funeral had brought together so many different friends and families, showing just how far Tony’ s reach had gone. 

He stood awkwardly in the kitchen as Happy opened up some of the windows, trying to get some air flowing into the house. His hands rested in his pockets, as much as he wanted to run them over the different surfaces, to try and get closer to Tony in any way possible. 

A small glint from something in the corner caught his attention as Happy made his way into the next room. He took a step closer to the shelves, trying to find out what was causing it. His brows furrowed together at the photo of Howard Stark, not knowing when Tony had gotten to a stage where he felt comfortable looking at the image of his father. He would have dwelled on it longer if he hadn’t spotted the other frame peeking out behind it. He pulled one of his hands out from his pocket, and carefully brought it off the shelf. 

Peter gasped quietly as he took in the photo of himself and Tony, posing awkwardly for the camera. He remembered the moment it was taken; the day, three months after he’d been given his suit back when Tony had decided they should probably formalise the whole internship thing. Whilst before it had simply been a cover, Peter had actually started going over to the compound, and to Tony’s small place in Manhattan, a couple of times a week. They would work on the suit, or tinker with other inventions, or sometimes just watch a movie together. Nonetheless, Tony wanted Peter to actually have some proof that he was helping him out. He ran a finger over the image of Tony’s face, a tear hitting the glass encasing as he played back the memory. 

“Hey kid, you alright in here?”

Peter jumped at the sudden appearance of Happy, reprimanding himself for not being on guard. His spider-senses had been out of whack since the battle, feeding off his emotions. He gave Happy a small smile, though, and nodded. 

Happy noticed the frame in Peter’s hands but thought it would be best if he didn’t mention it. “Come with me, there’s something I have to show you.”

* * *

Happy guided Peter down a set of stairs, which led right into the small lab that Tony had set up for himself here. It was much smaller than anything he had built before, with only a few different surfaces, and half of the room housing a couple of parked cars. The space was surprisingly tidy, with only a silver briefcase on the main benchtop that looked out of place. 

“What are we doing here?” Peter asked as he took a step farther into the room. 

Happy stayed back, lingering at the bottom of the stairs. He’d already cleared out most of the garage and workshop a couple of weeks ago, storing some of the tech that Tony had been working on, whilst handing other pieces over to the other Avengers. 

“He left you something.”

Peter’s head snapped around to Happy, not quite sure what he was inferring. All Happy did was nod his head at the briefcase. “That’s for you.” He didn’t wait for a response, instead, turning around and making his way back up the stairs. Peter deserved his privacy for this. 

Peter looked back at the briefcase, before slowly making his way over to it. The moment was reminiscent of the time in Berlin, where he first was given one of Tony’s suits. Only once he stood before it, was he able to see the envelope that was half-hidden underneath. Pulling it out, Peter had to bite the inside of his cheek as his name became visible. There was no denying this was for him, then. 

He carefully lifted the envelope up, and opened it slowly, so as not to rip it, the inside revealing a folded piece of paper. Pulling it out numbly, Peter tried to prepare himself for what he was about to read. 

_Peter,_

_I thought I better give you a minor upgrade, in case this whole time-travel thing actually works. If you’re reading this, then I guess it probably has._

_Then again, if you’re reading this, I probably didn’t make it. But_ you _did, and that’s what matters. People like you are what made this planet worth saving. I’m sorry I never really put my faith in your abilities before, but you’ve done good kid. I’m proud of you. You’re the kind of hero I want Morgan looking up to as she grows up._

_This suit’s a definite upgrade, though. Compatible in space, more web combinations, fewer surveillance protocols. There’s a new AI in here, too. A Mentor Replacement of sorts, a Software That's A Robot Know-it-all. He’ll be there to help you out with anything you might need along the way. I hope you like him._

_I know this isn’t the ending you wanted, but that’s what this life is all about. I guess I’ve just learnt you can’t always cut the wire, there’s not always a way out. But life moves on, Peter, and I really need you to move on as well. Don’t dwell on the past, not when you could be shaping your future. A part of me will always be with you, even if I’m not here physically._

_The neighbourhood needs you, kid._  
_Love,_  
_Tony_

With trembling hands, Peter unlocked the case, frowning at the seemingly empty case. As he peered in further, he could only just make out a small metal object resting on the display. Reaching his hand out, he picked up the item, realisation beginning to trickle into his mind. 

The object was in the shape of a spider, no larger than his palm. It was cool to the touch, and extremely light, feeling completely breakable in his hands. Peter spared a look around the room, despite knowing that it was completely empty, before hitting the spider against his chest. 

Almost instantly, particles dispersed from the spider, running along his body like water. First, they spread across his chest, hardening into a sturdy red and blue shell. They continued on, reaching down his legs and along his arms. He smiled in wonder as the suit took shape, hugging his body in its tight embrace.

The last part of the suit was the helmet. It almost tickled as the particles moved across his cheeks and wrapped around the back of his head. It was weird, how the suit was such a hard metal on the outside, yet moved with him, allowing his mouth to shape around the short, amazed breaths that he was taking.

Remembering the note that still rested on the table, Peter inhaled nervously, before calling out, “H-hello?”

No more than two seconds later, an achingly familiar voice called back to him. 

_“Hey, kid. Long time, no see, huh?”_

Peter smiled as it all clicked. “Mentor Replacement Software That’s A Robot Know-it-all. Clever.”

 _”Yeah, well I am a genius, after all.”_ The voice responded. _“Shame there’s no ‘G’ in my name.”_

**Author's Note:**

> Ok so I will still, and probably always will, cry over endgame, but at least this doesn't end with everything being so depressing.


End file.
